Top 5 moments: Noem clashes with Dems in fiery hearing as drones, deportations erupt into flashpoints
A House Homeland Security hearing quickly became a magnet for explosive exchanges, complaints and divisive claims when DHS Secretary Kristi Noem appeared before Congress on Thursday. Lawmakers from both sides...
By Fox News · Fox News
A House Homeland Security hearing quickly became a magnet for explosive exchanges, complaints and divisive claims when DHS Secretary Kristi Noem appeared before Congress on Thursday. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle probed Noem at the House Homeland Security’s "Worldwide Threats to the Homeland" hearing, raising topics on everything from Noem’s efforts to stop illegal immigration to the threat of weaponized domestic drones. Although Noem had to exit the hearing ahead of schedule due to a meeting with FEMA, the hearings still led to plenty of notable moments. The meeting got off to a heated start on Thursday when Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., called on Noem to resign just minutes in, citing a long list of what he called violations of U.S. law. WHITE HOUSE CALLS REPORT ABOUT TRUMP CONSIDERING FIRING NOEM ‘TOTAL FAKE NEWS' "Rather than sitting here and wasting your time and ours with more corruption, lies and lawlessness, I call on you to resign. Do a real service to the country and just resign," Thompson said. Thompson pointed to the administration’s efforts to deport illegals to El Salvador against the requirement of a court order, the withholding of federal grants to put pressure on American cities to assist with immigration enforcement efforts, and the detainment of American citizens as evidence of Noem's wrongdoing. Many of the instances Thompson pointed to are being adjudicated in court. When asked about DHS’s efforts to monitor and deter potential drone-related security threats, Noem said the U.S. is behind the curve. "Frankly, our authorities haven't kept up with it," Noem said. Noem said DHS would begin new collaborations with state and local authorities through new enabling language contained in this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). "We are going to be investing upwards of $1.5 billion into drone technology and counter-drone technology and mitigation measures that we can deploy to partner with cities and states for celebrations and di…